Why You Should Join The Alternative Dispute Resolution Society

27 November, 2018

With over 200 official Clubs and Societies at Queen's, there's something perfect for everyone. Today Carmen is sharing why she chose the Alternative Dispute Resolution Society.

Queen’s has so many clubs and societies. From gaming or debating to sports clubs there’s something for everyone. Plus, there’s a handy fair at Whitla Hall that encourages students and freshers to get involved and helps them choose from the many clubs that set up booths at the Hall.

Most clubs and societies come with a membership fee. But they’re very affordable and from what you will learn and experience from joining the clubs or societies, it’s safe to say that the investment will be worth it.

Finding the Perfect Society for Me

I have recently joined Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Society which is affiliated with Herbert Smith and Freehills, a silver circle law firm in the UK.

Alternative dispute resolution was not something new to me as a law student, but I have never really had hands-on and practical experience with negotiation or arbitration skills. So, joining the club let me have a feel of what’s it like in real life. What’s great is that you don’t just have to be a law student to join ADR society; there are members there with non-law backgrounds too.

What is the ADR Society?

The ADR society holds a meeting every Tuesday, the same as many other clubs and societies in Queen’s University. What’s different is that the ADR has a structured, but flexible, framework of events and workshops. For example, in ADR meetings, I have learned a lot of hands-on practical negotiation skills and reasoning from the workshops. These are efficiently and expertly curated by the ADR committee.

I think that being in this society will be helpful to anyone thinking about a career in business or law. As when you step into a working environment, it’s a skill that’s very essential and valued. For example, you could resolve important corporate disputes without going for litigation - which saves costs and time.

What the society has taught me

I have had the privilege of joining the Internals Competition for ADR. In this competition, my teammate and I had to take up roles as client and counsel and dispute on a set of case facts with the other party.

It was a great experience as I was able to learn about negotiating with sound reasoning and judgment. It was also useful to be in the moment and face whatever our opponents brought up. I had to think quickly on my feet on how to conclude with a feasible solution that will be both beneficial for both my team and the opposing party.

This is something I couldn’t get from the classrooms and the reason why I think joining clubs and societies are so important. You get to broaden your horizons and skills in other ways than you’re used to in a classroom environment.

At Queen’s, There’s a Club and Society for Everyone

Besides garnering skills from the club/societies, you will be able to mingle with other people and meet new friends. The people in the clubs and societies are really friendly and it’s safe to say you never feel that you’re out of place. Everyone is eager to speak to you and you hardly ever seen a non-smiling face.

So I urge you to step out of your comfort zone and join in the clubs and societies. Especially if you are new to Queen’s and don’t know many people. If there are really none to your liking, perhaps you could talk to the staff. They can assist you in starting up your very own club or society instead.

To find out more about the all the Clubs and Societies available at Queen's visit this site

Carmen Chen Chinq Lih

LLB Law| 3rd Year |Malaysia

Greetings, I’m Carmen and currently a final year law student at Queen’s University. I enjoy blogging and reading and I also do have my own personal blog in which I do write on when in my spare time. I love meeting new people and getting to know their cultures and interests. From my blog posts, I hope that you may find some useful tips for when you are thinking of pursuing studies overseas in Queen’s University. Especially when you’re an international student. It’s always great craic to be able to experience life studying overseas, and now you get to know more through an international student’s perspective! Do stay tuned for more blog posts.